1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a managing apparatus and method of a hardware key in a library apparatus employing LTO (Linear Tape-Open) technology, and in particular to a managing apparatus and method of a key for facilitating the management of hardware keys (antitheft protection of keys) and for improving the usability of a library apparatus employing the LTO technology.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a case in which data to be recorded in a tape medium is encrypted using an encryption apparatus, a method is conventionally known for using a unique ID assigned to an apparatus encrypting the data as a hardware key.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overview of a configuration of a key managing apparatus in a conventional library apparatus employing the LTO technology. Generally, in a library apparatus employing the LTO technology, the function can be divided into a medium carrying processing side and a medium recording control side as shown in FIG. 1. The configuration of the conventional library apparatus employing the LTO technology shown in FIG. 1 comprises a library control unit 10 and a medium carrying mechanism unit 20 in the medium carrying processing side and an encryption apparatus having a key managing unit 44 and a tape drive 50 in the medium recording control side. A tape cartridge 30 having a CM (Cartridge Memory) is carried by the medium carrying mechanism unit 20, is next mounted to a prescribed position of the tape driver 50, is subsequently written/read, and afterward is ejected to the original position. A server 100 causes the library apparatus to issue a write/read instruction and to perform writing/reading of data, on the basis of a write/read request from a host in an upper level not shown in the drawings.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the library control unit shown in FIG. 1. In FIG. 2, a host interface (I/F) unit 12 communicates with a host in an upper level (or the server 100) not shown in the drawing according to a prescribed interface specification. A command issued from the upper level host not shown in the drawing is interpreted in the host I/F unit 12, and the interpretation is sent to the apparatus control/status management unit 14. For each command issued from the upper level host not shown in the drawing and processed/executed in the library apparatus, the host I/F unit 12 receives the result from the apparatus control/status management unit 14, and responds to the upper level host (or the server 100) not shown in the drawing.
The apparatus control/status management unit 14 processes the command received via the host I/F unit 12 on the basis of the status information and the setting information of an apparatus that the apparatus control/status management unit 14 manages, and issues operation instructions to each of the mechanism units (a robot control unit 16 and a CM write/read unit 24) explained later. The apparatus control/status management unit 14 informs the host I/F unit 12 of the operation result of each of the mechanism units (the robot control unit 16 and the CM write/read unit 24), and updates the status information of the apparatus control/status management unit 14.
The robot control unit 16 performs drive and stop controls of a robot on the basis of robot operation instructions issued by the apparatus control/status management unit 14.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the medium carrying mechanism unit shown in FIG. 1. In FIG. 3, a carrying mechanism unit 22 grips and carries the tape cartridge 30 on the basis of instructions from the apparatus control/status management unit 14 of the library apparatus 10.
The CM write/read unit 24 performs read and write operations from and to the CM (Cartridge Memory) stored in the tape cartridge in the medium carrying mechanism unit.
Patent Document 1 should be referred to for an example of the tape cartridge and the CM cartridge memory here. The CM cartridge memory is a non-contact type IC memory that can store the mounting history of the tape cartridge, recording data volume, and statistical information such as error information.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the encryption apparatus shown in FIG. 1. In FIG. 4, the host I/F unit 42 communicates with the upper level host (or the server 100) not shown in the drawing according to a prescribed interface specification.
The key managing unit 44 manages encryption key information for encrypting data and provides appropriate key information in response to requests from a data encryption processing unit 46 and a data decryption processing unit 48. For encryption key information, an ID that is unique to the encryption apparatus corresponding to each tape drive is used.
The data encryption processing unit 46 identifies the command received via the host I/F unit 42, and when the data is to be encrypted, obtains key information for encryption from the key managing unit 44 and performs data encryption processing.
The data decryption processing unit 48 identifies data sent from the tape drive 50, and when the data is to be decrypted, obtains key information for decryption from the key managing unit 44, and performs data decryption processing.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the tape drive shown in FIG. 1. In FIG. 5, a host I/F unit 52 communicates with the upper level host (the server 100 or the encryption apparatus 40) not shown in the drawing according to a prescribed interface specification.
A mechanism control unit 54 performs run and stop control of the tape and mounting/ejecting processing of the tape cartridge according to commands received via the host I/F unit 52.
The data buffer unit 56 temporarily accumulates written/read data in order to increase as much as possible the data volume exchanged with a host not shown in the drawing and the volume written in a magnetic tape.
The CM write/read unit 57 exchanges processed data of the in-process tape cartridge and statistical information such as the error rate with the CM cartridge memory housed in the tape cartridge.
The data read/write unit 58 performs data writing to the tape cartridge and data reading from the tape cartridge.
The operation of the key managing apparatus in the conventional library apparatus employing the LTO technology with the configuration provided above is set forth with reference to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a sequence between the server (including the upper level host), the library control unit and medium carrying mechanism unit, and the tape drive and the encryption apparatus, and FIG. 7 is a diagram explaining the flow of information of the key managing apparatus in the conventional library apparatus employing the LTO technology. In FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the server 100 issues a medium insertion request (command) (a) to the library control unit 10 (A1). The library control unit 10 issues a medium insertion instruction ((b)-(d)) to the medium carrying mechanism unit 20 (A2). The medium carrying mechanism unit 20 performs medium carrying processing (A3). In the medium carrying processing, medium management information is obtained (e) from the CM cartridge memory of the tape cartridge 30 (A31), and the medium management information is updated and stored (f) in the library control unit 10 (A32). Meanwhile, the tape drive 50 loads (n) a medium (A4). The tape drive 50, next, obtains (g) the medium management information in the CM write/read unit 57 (A5).
Afterward, the server 100 instructs (j) data writing to the encryption apparatus 40 (B1). Although the example shown in the drawing describes a data writing instruction, it is obvious that the instruction can also be a data reading instruction. The encryption apparatus 40 obtains the key information (k) from the key managing unit 44, and performs encryption of the data (q) (B2). In the tape drive 50, the encrypted data is written in the magnetic tape unit of the tape cartridge 30 ((r), (s), (t)) (B3).
In response to the termination of the writing of the encrypted data to the tape cartridge 30 ((r), (m), (j)), the server 100 issues a medium ejection request (command) ((j), (m), (n)) to the tape drive 50 (C1). The tape drive 50 updates the medium management information (g) in the CM write/read unit 57 (C2). The tape drive 50 ejects (n) the medium (C3). Meanwhile, the medium ejection request (command) from the server 100 (C1) is also issued to the library control unit 10 at the same time ((a), (b)), and when the medium ejection ends in the tape drive 50 ((n), (m), (j), (a), (b)), the library control unit 10 issues a medium ejection instruction ((c), (d)) to the medium carrying mechanism unit 20 (C4). The medium carrying mechanism unit 20 performs the medium carrying processing (C5). In the medium carrying processing, the medium management information is obtained (e) from the CM cartridge memory of the tape cartridge 30 (C51), and the medium management information is updated and stored (f) in the library control unit 10 (C52).
As described above, in a case in which the key managing apparatus in the conventional library apparatus employs the LTO technology, one encryption apparatus is needed for one tape drive, and in a library apparatus using a great number of tape drives (in general, a library apparatus employing the LTO technology can comprise 30-40 tape drives), a great number of hardware keys have to be managed (antitheft protection of the keys), and the management of the hardware keys thus becomes very complicated, which is a problem.
Because backup software generally used in open systems (a computer system using an OS whose specifications have been released to the public such as Windows™, and UNIX™) does not specify a tape drive for each normally performed job but uses any empty tape drive, there is a problem such that when an ejected tape medium is taken out and used with other computers, identification of a hardware key required for decryption is difficult.
Patent Document 1:
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-117643